Testing Towards Progress

Back in our school days, we dreaded tests—who wants to hunched over books studying when you can be outside playing sports, painting, spending time with friends, or really anything else? But at TaskRabbit HQ, testing is a vital part of our business, so we want to share with you some of what we’ve been testing to improve your experience. We think it’s pretty cool.

Why do we run tests?

Tests allow us to determine how successful a particular feature will be at achieving results that improve the network and the experience of Clients and Taskers within it. By testing potential features before fully rolling them out, we can make sure that they’re worth the time and effort it takes to build them. If they are—great. If not, then we can focus our time and energy on things that will be more impactful to our community.

How do we run tests?

Most often, we run A/B tests, which means that a fraction of our network sees a new feature while others do not. Sometimes, we choose to test (or not test) in certain cities. Each test is time-bound. By using this method, we can easily see if there is a positive, negative, or neutral impact on those who see the feature compared to those who don’t. If the test is positive, we’ll roll out that feature to 100% of the TaskRabbit network. If not, then we won’t.

What kinds of tests have we run recently?

We’re always trying to improve your experience, which means we’re constantly testing! One notable example from the past few weeks was a test around showing Clients the different times that Taskers have schedule Availability, so that they can hire the Tasker they want for the time s/he is available. During this test, a fraction of Clients were able to choose Taskers from a three-day window rather than from a single date. Another fraction maintained the old format of choosing a single date.

The test scenario won. By showing more Tasker profiles thanks to the larger window of potential Tasker Availability, Clients were able to choose Taskers who better fit their needs, which led to more task invitations being completed. It was a win-win for the whole community!

We’re always looking for Tasker feedback on potential features and programs. Keep an eye on your email to get involved!

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5 comments on “Testing Towards Progress”

I think it’s great that TR is implementing new features to make the user experience more positive and efficient. Another suggestion I have would be to allow a toggle on/off feature for the Tasker skills. There are times when a Tasker may not be able to fulfill all the Job skills that they are signed up for, for a number of reasons. For that I think a toggle switch would help so that Taskers would not have to eliminate skills if necessary to then have to rewrite their bio/experience when they are able to perform said skill again. Thanks!

I second this. This feature is included in day-of, but not for scheduling ahead. It co be good for, say, a week when your vehicle is in the shop. I’d add stored versions of different work-area maps, too…. :))
Anyway, I am grateful that TR’s design process includes proper research and testing. In general, I see strong improvements over time that I really do think have benefited those working on the platform (and in turn have improved the client-end experience!).
p.s. I work on the platform as well as hiring from it. 🙂

Adding an audio visual or technology skill would be great! TV- speaker- biometric devices- android box’s Apple TV fire stix- smart thermostats- pulling cable speaker wire Cat5/6-Coaxial-fiber HD antennas- stereo systems- computer set ups- just a thought- one thing I would really like to see is a deeper more Tasker friendly review remediation process, since we rely so heavily on our bio- One client has a bad day and you get in their sites and just like that, no fault of your own they can hit the thumbs down- I feel if the client hits the thumbs down and decides not to explain there reasoning behind the review should not be allowed- just a thought-

I’d REALLY love to see you guys test Taskers’ ability to offer different rates for didn’t times, dates, and maps. There are many times that I WOULD work a certain day or time or particular area/distance, but not at the single fixed rate. I theorize that it would lead to more Taskers being available on the platform at all times. Win-win-win.